No Matter What - Book 1

Chapter 2

"So, any questions?" Newt asked after introducing the girl to the Med-Jacks, led by Clint.

The girl looked around, racking her brain for any question that she saw fit to ask. Truth was, she had a million questions but didn't want to lay anymore on Newt since she had been badgering him with questions since they started the tour.

Finally, her head moved off to the right and the sound of a goat bleating caught her attention. "There are animals?"
Newt chuckled. "Yeah. We have a decent variety. There are the goats, pigs and chickens."

The girl grinned. Newt had told her the gist of all the different jobs and how a greenie (that's obviously what she was right now), gets assigned a job.

"Are we allowed to choose our job?" she asked, turning to look at him. "Or do we have to prove our worth?"
Newt smiled, "That's only really for Runners. You have to be chosen to be a runner because it is the most dangerous job. The others though, you are given the job that best suits your areas of expertise."
The girl raised an eyebrow in speculation, "Well I have only been here a few hours. What if you put me with the Med-Jacks and I really am horrible at it but better suit being a Builder?"
"Quite the thinker huh?" Newt asked, a smirk on his face. "Well, since you're the first and only girl in the glade, I guess you can get a break. I'll have to ask Alby though."
"Ask me what?" a voice asked from behind them and they spun around to see the tall black boy.

"If...." the girl stuttered, suddenly finding it harder to talk to anyone other than Newt. "If I could choose my job.... Minus Runner of course.... The idea of being a runner just scares me."
Alby smiled softly at her before patting her on the shoulder, "What job were you thinking of?"
She looked back over her head at the small herd of animals. "Slicer."
When she wasnt paying attention, Newt and Alby were both looking at each other, rather surprised.

"What?" she asked, hoping she hadn't said something wrong.
Alby smiled, "Oh it's nothing Greenie. Just, out of all the jobs you could have asked to choose, you didn't exactly choose the most important job."
She shrugged, "If you want to be responsible for big things, be accountable for little things."
Either what she was saying didn't make sense or she was saying all the wrong things today because Alby's eyes widened and the girl didn't realize that Newt had such a big mouth till then when it flopped open.

She bit my lip, "Did I say something wrong?"
Alby snapped out of his surprise, elbowing Newt to clamp his mouth shut. "Not at all," he replied, smiling. "I guess we're just not used to a girl's point of view but, now that you mention it, you make a valid point."
Her face lit up and she smiled, "Does that mean I can be a Slicer!?"
Alby chuckled at her enthusiasm and patted her shoulder, "Why not? We want the only girl in the glade to be comfortable, don't we? I'll introduce you to Winston. He's in charge of the slicers. Newt, tell everyone to meet at the Homestead in twenty minutes. We're having a Gathering."

Newt nodded before walking off. The girl didn't fail to notice that he walked with a slight limp. She was about to ask Alby about it when he seemed to read her mind.

"That's a story only Newt can share," he explained. "I am the only one who knows the truth of his limp and I promised not to tell a soul until he sees fit to share it."
She nodded, deciding that it was only fair. Everyone has their personal issues or past that they do not wish to share. Though she had to admit, there isn't much she hadn't told everyone... considering that as far as she could remember, her past started about an hour ago.

The girl followed Alby across the Glade to a small hut near the edge of the trees.

"So, this is the Blood House," Alby explained. "This is where the animals are kept and cared for until they are slaughtered. In the goat and chickens' cases, we don't slaughter then until their production level drops."
The girl nodded, before a tall, skinny boy with slightly lighter skin than Alby, bushy black hair and big brown eyes walked over.